Member of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, asked the government to adjust the budget allocation for the Witness and Victim Protection Agency in 2027 to align with the expanded mandate granted through Law Number 3 of 2026 concerning Witness and Victim Protection.
Rieke stated that strengthening witness and victim protection has become part of the national priority agenda through President Prabowo Subianto's Astacita, so fiscal support needs to follow the increasing function and service burden of the LPSK.
"The state must not expand its protection mandate without providing adequate budgetary support," Rieke said in a statement..
At the LPSK Ministry/Institution Work Plan and Budget Working Meeting for the 2027 Fiscal Year Rieke said that Law Number 3 of 2026 expands the LPSK's duties as an independent state institution that not only provides protection, but also victim recovery, compensation, restitution, management of the Victim Endowment Fund, protection for reporters, informants, witnesses, perpetrators, and experts, including the provision of safe houses, relocation, protection from digital threats, and the establishment of representative offices in the regions.
Rieke said that discussions on the 2027 budget need to be preceded by a comprehensive evaluation of the current year's budget implementation and services.
He noted that the LPSK projects that requests for protection will increase from 13,027 cases in 2025 to 19,540 cases in 2026 and reach 29,310 cases in 2027.
However, the materials presented in the discussion did not fully cover the realization of 2026 budget absorption, service achievements, number of beneficiaries, realization of restitution and compensation, or the backlog of applications, even though the LPSK budget ceiling for 2026 had reached IDR 259 billion.
On the other hand, the LPSK's indicative budget for 2027 is recorded at IDR 130.035 billion, far below the actual proposed need of IDR 392.473 billion.
"LPSK budgeting must be based on the principle of 'money follows function' so that every expansion of duties and authority is accompanied by adequate, sustainable, and equitable fiscal support," he said.
Rieke also highlighted a number of strategic programs mandated by Law Number 3 of 2026 that have not yet received budget allocation, including the Victims' Endowment Fund, the witness and victim protection roadmap, the witness and victim protection index, service digitalization, and strengthening of protection facilities and infrastructure.
